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Merlin speakers a new start for me

hi folks.... Long time audiogoner and have not used the form a great deal. I am in mid change over from a home Theater setup to a two channel system. The basic problem is space. Running two systems did not work so I combined what I had and have been running 2 channel.

At the moment I am sort of between systems but what is left includes.

Preamp Classe 5L
Amps Pair Threshold T-200's (Both have been updated by Jon S)
CD is the Dennon 2900
TT is a project
Speakers at the moment are a pair of Revel M-20's
Revel B15
I have a S-30 and a pair of older Paradigm ADP surrounds that are not in use
I also have an older Sherbourn 5/1500 left over from the HT.

My thought at the moment is to keep most of what I have and simply add a hi end pair of monitors, or speakers somewhere between 2-5k. I have been bouncing around between

Merlin VMS M or SE
Merlin TSM
Revel Gems
Thiel 3.6 the 2.4 or even the 6
ATC 20's or 50's

I have been a long term fan of Celestions and had either a pair of the SL-600's or the 700SE's for the past 15 years. So I am both a big fan of a clean image and or a very very good sound stage both of which I got from the Clestions. At this point, I simply feel the Celestions are too old to be reliable.... and I would like something new. The room I am in is moderate in size and has a very very bad suck out around 50hrz so the speakers will likely be used with the Revel handling everything from say 60-80hrz down.

Thought I would ask the form espcially those that know and have heard the merlins. My plan at this point is to keep the Classe/Threholds and the Revel B15. I am not really attached to any of it at the moment as I am not getting all that I think the system can offer.... so any suggestions welcome.

Thanks
atkatana
tabl10s's avatar
tabl10s
1,008 posts
 
I'd shoot for the Merlin MM's which can be found here for just under 5k used...sometimes.
eldarado
381 posts
 
If it were my system I would upgrade the TT and add a dedicated 2 channel CDP before I upgraded from the Revels.
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I don't know how much bass energy you have now, but I had MM's for several months and to be sure,they are lacking in that area. I speak to the lower 1/4 of all music.(as mia)--and I did miss it enough to sell them.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
You don't mention what kind of music you like, and this info could be
critical to a definitive yes or no recommendation.

I heard Merlins, and based on my music preferences, a sub would've
been required. Since you have a Revel sub, the Merlins might work well
for you, but I'd strongly suggest listening to the Merlins first. On the
other hand, Merlins are fairly popular, and therefore you may be able to
buy a used pair, try them, and re-sell without taking much of a hit if you
find they don't quite work for you.

Also, if you do some further reading you will find that a majority of
Merlin owners use tube amplification (Berning, Joule Electra, etc), and
high end cabling (Cardas). With a purchase of Merlins, you might find
yourself embarking on an unintended upgrade path. That's not
necessarily a bad thing if the Merlin sound is what you're after, but you
would be wise to discover if the Merlin sound is to your liking
before taking the plunge.
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